Energy Union or top-down implementation? City Councillor speaks out at Riga Conference

The initial orientations given by the European Commission to flesh out its flagship proposal for an ‘Energy Union’ appear to misunderstand the wide meaning of the word ‘union’.

Indeed, although citizens and local stakeholders are mentioned in the margins, the Commission does not give any indication related to the actual involvement of EU cities and citizens. Today in Riga, the Deputy Mayor of Delft Stephan Brandligt, who spoke at the Energy Union ministerial Conference, stressed the important role of cities and local stakeholders in the Energy Union process.

Taking the floor shortly after representatives of the fossil fuel and nuclear lobbies, he talked in his capacity of Board Member of Energy Cities and signatory of the Covenant of Mayors initiative, thus representing some 6,000 other local authorities across Europe, to demonstrate how city-led decentralised energy policies can support the project of an Energy Union. More specifically, he emphasized how such a locally-driven approach would lead to a more democratic, prosperous and future-oriented Union.